Squeezebox Boom

Music reproduction is a strange subset of technology. Simultaneously at the cutting edge of new ways of making, distributing and consuming the actual product, it also plays host to a rabid subculture of hi-fidelity obsessives who prize authenticity and quality above all else.

As a result, ever since the dawn of the MP3 era in 1995, it’s been pretty easy to commit hi-fidelity heresy - any form of music reproduction that involves compression has traditionalists up in arms. That hasn’t stopped the majority of us moving our music collections off the shelf and onto the hard drive. The final hurdle is how to pipe these bits and bytes around your home.

Slim Devices have devised a very satisfactory answer. Their latest Squeezebox model, the Boom, streams music from a computer over a wireless network. The built-in speakers do away with the need for extra wires, while the ability to stream internet radio ups your audio options towards the infinite. Above all, the Boom’s simple styling and intuitive controls give it a refreshingly low-key aesthetic presence.